


with the sight of your face, i am home

by leftoveramericano



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: (slight) Angst, Alternate Universe - Not K-Pop Idols, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mutual Pining, fluff (maybe), kinda wonwoo-centric?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-06
Updated: 2018-01-06
Packaged: 2019-02-23 15:47:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13193340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leftoveramericano/pseuds/leftoveramericano
Summary: Wonwoo believes that to love someone, meaning that you are ready to drown yourself in an ocean of trivialities with an incomparable ability to make one sad or desperate of the longing. He then thinks that it could be one of the reasons why he pleads to himself that he won't easily fall into that one particular mundane feeling. Therefore he is more than determined to shape himself into a rational individual, but not until Kim Mingyu brags into his life and somehow manages to make Wonwoo outstretch his arms waiting to be filled and kept safe by the guy whose smile can light up the entire summer.





	with the sight of your face, i am home

**Author's Note:**

> wonwoo and mingyu are of the same age in this fic! :) i feel like i need to give you guys a heads up about this so there might not be any confusion.. anyway, enjoy!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You came." Wonwoo breathes out.
> 
> "You said the sunset is pretty." Mingyu replies, lips are still curved up in a form of smile.
> 
> "You didn't even get the chance to witness it." Wonwoo murmurs against his arm. The words came off unclear, but Mingyu is still able to catch them. _"But you are prettier."_ Mingyu wanted to blurt out, but he holds himself back. Instead he says, "Who am I to doubt Jeon Wonwoo, the smartest student in our year?" which is returned by Wonwoo rolling his eyes at Mingyu. They both are exchanging gummy smile at one another for a while, until they burst out into small laughter. Mingyu's face cannot clearly be seen, not under the dim and sufficient light from the yellowish street lamps placed throughout the pavement that separates the beach and main road behind them, but strangely Mingyu still looks _flawless_ and Wonwoo hates him for that.

**i. boy with endearing antics**

 

Wonwoo was twelve years old and in seventh grade when his homeroom teacher excitedly marched in to the class with an unfamiliar boy following her motion from behind. He adjusted his glasses by pushing them upward, hoping he could've gotten a better view of the boy and when he finally did, Wonwoo concluded that even if he forgot to wear his glasses, he would still be able to tell that the new boy sure was good-looking

(He heard faint yet clear squeals coming from the girl students inside the class, and that alone was enough confirmation)

"Alright class," His energetic homeroom teacher placed her hands in each side of her hips as her bright eyes scanned the whole room. "Today, we will be having a new student who's just moved here from Anyang. I hope you guys can get along well with him!" She beamed at the students as she slowly pushed the new boy forward, gesturing him to introduce himself in front of the class.  _"_ _City boy, huh?"_ Wonwoo thought to himself.

"Hello everyone, my name is Kim Mingyu! Please take care of me!" Mingyu smiled as he slightly bowed to the class. He sounded  _so_ cheerful that Wonwoo couldn't detect any nervousness. He didn't know if it was something normal for the boy, but it certainly wasn't for Wonwoo, not when he literally woke up three hours earlier on his first day of school since he was just  _that_ skittish of any plausible and foreseeable human interactions he might had to experience. 

Wonwoo looked around and noticed that everyone was reciprocating Mingyu's bow, and so he followed the action awkwardly since his eyes were never leaving Mingyu's figure despite of his head slightly ducking in. Not too long after the introduction, the murmur around his class was becoming even more obvious that Wonwoo was sure at this point, Mingyu himself would be able to hear it. 

The mouthful rustle was out of control when his homeroom teacher broke the silence by considering which vacant seat Mingyu could occupy, and that was the moment when Wonwoo gulped since he knew damn well that the only vacant seat in his class was—

"Oh, you can sit beside Wonwoo over there, Mingyu." Wonwoo unconsciously perked up upon hearing his name being called by the teacher, and that signified the very first time both Wonwoo and Mingyu had an eye-contact. He looked pretty dumbfounded, that was for sure, especially when he realised how Mingyu not just smiled but also  _waved_ at him as if they were long lost best buddies. He witnessed how Mingyu looked up at their homeroom teacher, nodding. Wonwoo took it as him approving the seat that was picked for him, and he knew he was right the moment he realised how Mingyu was really walking towards his— _theirs_ —desk.

"Hello!" Mingyu looked down as he threw his charming smile at Wonwoo. He didn't even bother to wait for Wonwoo to exchange the greeting as he started to put down his bag and slowly sitting himself on the vacant seat right beside Wonwoo's. Everything, to Wonwoo's liking, happened just too fast that all he could do was nodding faintly at his new seat mate. 

"Uh, are these yours?" Mingyu pointed at the occupied desk in front of him and Wonwoo internally exclaimed when he realised that his books were still scattered all over the two-seaters desk that was vacant for quite a while that he'd seized the opportunity to use the empty spot to place his stuffs as well, including his many collection of books, even ones that weren't academically needed. 

"Yes, um, sorry. Just let me," Wonwoo trailed off and stumbled upon his words as his hands quickly grabbed all the books that were placed on Mingyu's side of desk and slowly tucking them inside his bag. "Hey, it's okay!" Wonwoo turned around to face Mingyu who was still presenting him the same warm smile, and honestly Wonwoo didn't know how to properly react to that, so he just stayed still and waited until Mingyu finished whatever it was he wished to say. "You can put them here, I don't really mind." Mingyu playfully shrugged as he broke the eye-contact with Wonwoo to crouch down and fumbling around the inside of his bag before coming back up with a notebook and pen on the grasp of his hand. "Look, I still have so much space." He put down the notebook alongside with his pen on top of his desk, finger pointing at them as a cue to Wonwoo that he really should have not worried about taking up Mingyu's (technically) rightful space.

"Oh," Wonwoo finally managed to fit the pieces inside his head. Little did he know that Mingyu's smile had gone wider since to him, Wonwoo was putting up such funny stone-like expression. "Hm, it's alright. I won't be reading those any time soon, anyway." Wonwoo decided to shoot the other a tiny smile since he somehow felt bad for only displaying his blank facial expression to the bubbly guy beside him. 

"I was just amazed looking at that amount of books you read. Sorry, if you took it as me wanting you to put them all away." Wonwoo felt a slight throb knocking his chest when he saw the apologetic smile forming in the other's lips. He should've not made such quick judgement, Wonwoo reminded himself. 

"No, it was on me. I should've not made such quick judgement." Wonwoo couldn't believe he blurted out the mental note that he'd made just seconds ago. 

"Tell me more about those books, yeah?" Mingyu's eyes sparkled as they looked straight at Wonwoo, who, once again, found himself slightly gaped with eyes filled with indescribable shock. "I believe I haven't seen any 7th graders other than you owning all those heavy-looking books, so I am curious." The new boy continued without looking at Wonwoo as he had started to write down the materials that their homeroom teacher was giving to them. "You might want to start copying those notes down now," He tapped his pen to the side of his head, thinking, and it didn't even take more than ten seconds for him to beam up and meet his eyes with Wonwoo's own again.

"Wonwoo, right?" And he chuckled when Wonwoo just stiffly nodded. 

 

.

.

.

 

(The recess went well; Mingyu nagged Wonwoo to show him the school around, despite of how most of, and if not all, the girls in their class were lining up to gladly do so to Mingyu. However, Mingyu insisted that he wanted to do the touring with Wonwoo, and for some reasons that Wonwoo even failed to seek, he agreed. The new boy also asked Wonwoo to take some of his books with him, so he could tell Mingyu the content of each one of them as he got himself familiar with the new environment. The most surprising part was when Mingyu treated Wonwoo to lunch; "It's my act of gratitude! Either you take it or accept it." Mingyu protested with pouty face when Wonwoo turned down the offer real quick the first time. Mingyu even  _whined_ in the middle of busy cafeteria that suddenly most of eyes were focusing on them, so it left Wonwoo no choice but to say yes.

"You owe me next lunch!" Mingyu later told him with his sheepish grin that showed his long canines. Wonwoo wanted to retort  _"Did you forget that you actually forced me to take up the offer?"_ , but he chose to just keep his mouth shut since he didn't want to make another commotion. 

They only parted ways when it was time to go back home. Mingyu was quick to shove all his school supplies back into his bag and headed out first in an instance since he said he needed to help his parents relocating their belongings in to their new house. Wonwoo sighed in relief as he made his way back to home all by himself, but that apparently only lasted momentarily. His eyes widened in horror and shock when he saw a moving truck parked just across his house, and it hit him how two weeks ago, his parents told him that the empty house across theirs was already sold, and that the new tenant would be coming to occupy the house soon. At that time, Wonwoo just nodded then later shuffled the information to the very down part of his memory core since he believed it wouldn't matter. 

Wonwoo knew what he had seen coming was indeed true when he spotted Mingyu picking up a box from inside the truck with his back facing Wonwoo, and how the new boy just looked as surprised as him when he turned around and saw Wonwoo's figure standing in front of his house—technically in front of Wonwoo's house as well. Mingyu gently dropped the box on to the asphalt and ran to approach Wonwoo who was still trying to process everything that happened  _way_ too fast to him in just a span of one day. One. 

 

_"Oh my God, don't tell me you are Mr. and Mrs. Jeon's eldest son?"_

 

And that was how Wonwoo and Mingyu started to become even closer friends)

 

 

**ii. sometimes he is as definite as the sunset, other times as unpredictable as the ocean current**

 

Wonwoo yawns for what seems like the nth time already, fingers lazily flipping through every page of the magazine he currently has in his hands. He grunts to himself regretfully for not bringing any books with him to kill his time, and when Wonwoo said books, magazines are certainly not part of the community. At least he refuses to group them into the same classification as Wonwoo's kind of books; science fiction, thriller, horror, historical fiction, and poetry. 

_Poetry._

The brunette's lips formed into a small smile as he suddenly remembers how Mingyu just wouldn't shut up expressing his astonished disbelief on how Wonwoo actually enjoys reading poetry, knowing that the said guy has zero knowledge about romance or how to simply form and write down the flower-like words himself. Wonwoo would tell him, as per always, that he doesn't have to become a romance enthusiast or let alone a pro in romance itself to enjoy poetry and the beautiful linguistics poured in it. Mingyu would then tilt his head as he pulled off concentrated look with his eyebrows knitted, saying; "Yeah but those beautiful and eloquent words are supposed to be practised in real life situation, Wonwoo."

Wonwoo shakes his head fondly, with subtle smile still lingering in his lips. It truly is unbelievable how they would be playfully bickering over such simple matter, but honestly Wonwoo finds a small moment like that as something worth keeping and remembering. Especially knowing after the same argument ended, they would either go to look for some more food or Mingyu would ask Wonwoo to read out one or two poetries that he liked the most from the book that he was reading. Sometimes, even, Wonwoo would read to Mingyu as they ate their food in one of the fast-food restaurants just around the neighbourhood, or in their favourite food street stall. 

It has been four years since Wonwoo and Mingyu have known each other. Sometimes Wonwoo is still awkward around Mingyu, but then it is not exactly something peculiar since that is just how Wonwoo is around, well, _people_. Both of them are also no longer middle school students, but high school, and Wonwoo is confident enough to say that his high school life is certainly more enjoyable. Maybe it is because he can finally have more clarity of what he'd want to do and become in the future, or maybe it is because everyone is, surprisingly, ten times less intimidating.

The latter, though, Wonwoo believes it has something to do Mingyu. Over the last four years he's spent with Mingyu, Wonwoo admits that he's become less cautious and  _tried_ to be more open to people. It was hard and weird at first that there were times where Wonwoo wouldn't just go along with Mingyu's silly ideas, but how capable is he to escape the other? Especially realising how they are neighbours and their parents are, surprisingly as well, becoming closer to each other in terms of relations. His little brother is even growing fond of Mingyu that he sometimes jokingly says how nice it would be if the raven-haired guy was also his brother, and Wonwoo would laugh sarcastically as he retorted, "Handling you alone is already a whole nuisance."

Sometimes, or maybe most of the time, Wonwoo finds it hard to believe that he and Mingyu are friends; dare he say that they are even best friends. Wonwoo at some point still finds it unthinkable how he can get loose around Mingyu so much. Sure, there are awkward times, but they still can be counted by fingers, so it really isn't a big deal in their friendship. Never in his life before meeting Mingyu, that Wonwoo would find it possible to throw sarcastic commentaries on someone else, or being playfully violent, and addressing all the possibly lamest puns and banters they both could have ever thought of. The latest point really surprised Mingyu the first time, since he really didn't expect Wonwoo to actually has a space inside his brain containing the lame slash  _horrible_ puns and jokes that are really beyond his conscience, and Wonwoo still remembers how he grinned at Mingyu as he pulled off the 'you really thought, huh?' face. 

They have been so close ever since day one, or maybe to Wonwoo it was since the second week, because the first one was  _literally_ just Mingyu goofing around as he tried to drag Wonwoo with him and his antics. Up until today, Wonwoo still wonders how it was possible for Mingyu to stand and stick around him despite of him only letting out maximum of five sentences to the other for a whole week before Wonwoo finally loosened up a bit. Wonwoo even expected Mingyu to ditch him completely since he was so quiet and reluctant to simply keep the conversation with Mingyu in tact.

But Mingyu  _stayed_ , and they are still sticking around even until now as best friends. 

"Sorry, did you wait long?" Wonwoo turns around as he looks up to the source of voice that supposedly called out to him. He smiles and closes the magazine in his hands as he put it back on top of the table in front of him. The brunette then stands up with smile still spreading across his lips then shakes his head assuringly.

"It's cool, I mean I've already expected this." Wonwoo just shrugs as he walks out of the building with Mingyu beside him. Mingyu bumps his side against Wonwoo's, and the recipient just chuckles. "What is it, model boy?"

Mingyu rolls his eyes, "Shut up. Let's go get ourselves some fried chicken before going back home." Wonwoo nods approvingly. He even lets out a playful 'aye, aye, captain!' that it makes Mingyu giggle. "Oh, it's my treat, by the way." The raven-haired boy added, and Wonwoo's eyebrows furrow.

"I'm not that poor, Kim Mingyu." Wonwoo turns his head to face the guy beside him as they make their way to the nearest fried chicken restaurant. "Besides, don't you remember that just four days ago you treated me a cup of americano  _plus_ one bagel?" The brunette lets his memory wander back to when he forgot to bring his wallet as he was about to pay for his food. Thankfully, Mingyu was there with him as well, and of course the most considerate Kim Mingyu would pay for him in a heartbeat. That's just how good-natured Mingyu is, but also with a little mixture of annoyance since he then refused to accept any compensation from Wonwoo.

"That was not a big deal, really. Also, if this bothers you so much, then I'm buying the chicken for your parents and Bohyuk. How about that, huh?" Mingyu wiggles his eyebrows triumphantly when he notices how Wonwoo has gone quiet. Wonwoo finally lets out an exasperated sigh as he grumbles 'fine' to the other.

Mingyu grins and he proceeds to clasp his hands and put them at the back of his head as they make their way to the fried chicken place. Wonwoo smiles when he notices the sudden change of gesture from the boy beside him, since he knows that it won't take long for Mingyu to start ranting about his day, and judging by how the said guy spent total of three hours doing photoshoot just before, Wonwoo is sure that Mingyu has a lot to tell.

"I don't want to sound like an asshole, since you really waited for the straight three hours for me, but that was pretty exhausting." Wonwoo chuckles when he sees how Mingyu puckers his lips in annoyance as he tells the story. "Though, really, I appreciate the amount of money they gave me just for posing in front of the camera." Mingyu smirks at Wonwoo as he looks down at his pocket while wiggling his eyebrows at the brunette. Wonwoo sighs in disbelief as he pushes his glasses upward while shaking his head. 

Over the four years, Mingyu isn't only popular amongst the students in their school, but also to some people that live around the neighbourhood that they live in. If Wonwoo were to reckon, he is pretty sure that Mingyu's naturally handsome face was first started getting the spotlight when the tanned boy decided to join the local soccer competition for junior high students when they were in the eighth grade. It's still vivid to him how everyone that sat around him in the bleacher, be it girls or boys, couldn't stop praising Mingyu's skill and face as they witnessed him owning the whole field. Girls were the loudest, Wonwoo highlighted. 

Then not too long after that competition, which in the end was won by the team from their school, some girls from other school somehow managed to get Mingyu's number and even to get closer to the said boy. Wonwoo still remembers how there were days where he'd walk back home by himself since Mingyu was halted by a group of girls already standing by the gate with some of the boys from the same team as his asking him to tag along with them. It's also still clear to Wonwoo how in all those time where Mingyu had to leave him by himself, the taller boy would shoot him an apologetic smile. Wonwoo would only shrug as he mouthed out inaudible 'it's alright' to his friend, then he'd wave goodbye at him as he made the opposite way to get back home. Wonwoo had never ever got mad at Mingyu for leaving him alone some of the days, since he really thought that Mingyu was just enjoying his youth like everybody else. Everyone except for Wonwoo, that is. 

Wonwoo still also has it in his head how Mingyu would always drop by his place before going back to his own whenever he'd done hanging out with the other kids. Mingyu would bring him some snacks he got from convenience store, or maybe to simply just greet Wonwoo and mutter another apology for leaving him alone. Wonwoo would just reassure him again that he didn't have to feel sorry, not when he himself was having fun with all those kids. Perhaps one thing that Wonwoo really keeps the most in his mind is how Mingyu always,  _always_ , kept his words of how he'd make it up by going back home together with Wonwoo for one week straight, and he really did that. There was this one time where a group of the same kids asked Mingyu out again even though it had just been three days since they last did so, and Mingyu turned down the offer right away. Wonwoo felt bad for smiling at that time, but he couldn't help himself but to do so, because for slight moment he felt that he was _special_.

That one reason alone could pretty much explain why everyone likes Mingyu, because the guy is so true to his words. Not only that, though, Mingyu is also dependable, straightforward, friendly, outgoing, caring, and  _just_ everything that still revolves around the word 'great'. He is a total opposite of Wonwoo in terms of behaviour, which makes Wonwoo wonder  _again_ how can someone so qualified to be associated with the word 'perfect' is willing to stick around him and even become his best friends for years. 

Started from that little recognition he'd got from the kids from other school, Mingyu also caught a lot of parents' attention during the report day. He also quickly stole their other neighbours' hearts for being a bright kid who always smiled and greeted them whenever he was around. The words spread out and it didn't take that much time for Mingyu to get known by a lot of people from the area, even until now. That is why the said guy often gets the offer to be the model to endorse their products, and even during the summer break, it won't be hard for Mingyu to look for part-time job since a lot of cafés around them will be the ones to offer him the job. 

"But I can tell it must have been exhausting in some ways. I mean, they made you change clothes for several times, didn't they?" Wonwoo tilts his head facing Mingyu, and the raven-haired guy nods aggressively with lips still slightly puckering. 

"They made me change for," Mingyu lifts up both of his hands in the air as he starts counting with his fingers. " _Thirteen_ times! Can you imagine? Not to mention the changing room they provided is so narrow that I had to duck my head sometimes, and also even hunched my shoulders." Wonwoo just giggles with his jumper-pawed hand covering his mouth. Eyes are slightly shut and nose all scrunches up, because Mingyu really made the whole thing sound so dramatic. 

(Little does Wonwoo know that Mingyu's face soften a bit upon seeing him, that the taller boy himself doesn't realise that he is staring long enough until Wonwoo's eyes finally meet his)

They keep making the conversation flowing throughout their way to the chicken place. Mingyu starts complaining to Wonwoo how he might have to retake the maths quiz for the second time next monday, and Wonwoo just lets out a sigh as he tells Mingyu to finally get a grip of himself. The tanned boy scoffs after hearing such remark as he breathes out 'yeah, yeah, as expected from the brainy boy' which later returned with a playful fist on his shoulder by the brunette. Wonwoo tells Mingyu how he's got two offers to either become one of their teachers' assistant or the part-time librarian in the school, and he wants to hear Mingyu's opinion on which offer should he take. He notices how Mingyu knits his eyebrows together as he rubs the palm of his hand against his chin, thinking thoroughly. Wonwoo might perhaps,  _perhaps_ , almost let out the words 'you look so adorable' to the taller boy, but it doesn't happen as Mingyu slowly turns his head to face Wonwoo and watches the brunette with all seriousness spreading all over his face. 

"You should definitely take Ms. Park's offer, then." Mingyu answers casually.

Wonwoo gasps a little bit, "How did you know it's Ms. Park that asked me?" 

Mingyu just shrugs as he lets out a small prideful chuckle for guessing it right, "It's just pretty obvious? Her favouritism towards you is so uncanny." Wonwoo nudges Mingyu's side with his elbow. "Besides, if you choose the offer to become a part-time librarian, that means we won't be able to have lunch together, will we? That can be really suck, I don't want that." 

Wonwoo was about to jokingly tease Mingyu, but then he looks at the pair of Mingyu's eyes and he can tell how the other really meant every distaste he said through his words should he and Wonwoo wouldn't be able to eat lunch together again. Slowly, Wonwoo reaches out to hold Mingyu's arm, and when he finally does, the black-haired guy automatically looks down to stare at Wonwoo.

"Alright, then. Ms. Park's assistant, that is." He gives Mingyu a reassuring smile, and Wonwoo's heart is full when he notices how Mingyu's eyes are suddenly full of the spark again after he tells him that. However, worries start to creep in to Wonwoo when he realised how Mingyu's smile slowly fades alongside with the spark reflected in his pair of eyes. 

"But Wonwoo, if you really want to become a part-time librarian, it's okay." Mingyu bites his lower lip slightly, and his voice comes out a little quieter than it usually does. Wonwoo slowly sighs as he tightens the grip around Mingyu's arm, wanting the taller guy to focus on him again.

"Nah, besides being Ms. Park's assistant could bring me a lot of advantages," At this point, Wonwoo is actually dragging Mingyu all the way to the chicken place. His eyes are looking straight ahead, but Mingyu's certainly are looking at the shorter figure beside him. "For example, I could perhaps ask for her signature for my recommendation letter to enter university later in the near future, right?" Wonwoo turns his head to momentarily grin at Mingyu before focusing his gaze ahead again. "Also, it must have been pretty boring to eat lunch without your chatty mouth running in to fill the silence." He adds at the very end.

Wonwoo's chest feels warm again when he looks up and finds Mingyu already staring down at him smiling with his canines showing. The brunette hums then continues to drag the big puppy all the way down to the chicken place. Wonwoo even starts to throw all the possible jokes and puns he can think of, and he cackles every time he hears Mingyu groan when he tells him the horrible ones. It doesn't take long before they finally arrive at the chicken place, and Mingyu quickly walks past Wonwoo as he suddenly acts like every gentleman in the drama by opening in the glass door for the brunette as he swings his arm forward whilst bowing a little bit, voice is made few notches lower as he mutters 'after you, sir' to Wonwoo. The four-eyed boy shakes his head as he snorts, but still he appreciate the effort, so Wonwoo softly says 'thank you' as he made his way into the restaurant first and later followed by Mingyu.

Wonwoo is about to reach the counter to make the order, but Mingyu, being gifted by longer legs and athletic feature, is quick to walk past Wonwoo and order the food himself. He whirls around to face Wonwoo after the employee greeted him in her most technical way of addressing the customers.

"Are you hungry?" Mingyu asks him, eyes moving back and forth between Wonwoo and the big menu hanging above the cash register.

Wonwoo shakes his head, "No, but I don't mind waiting for you if you are."

"No more waiting for you, Jeon Wonwoo." Mingyu's voice is sharp, but still tender. "It's takeaway then." 

Wonwoo hums as he starts to make his way to one of the empty tables in the restaurant. Eyes roaming around the place which is currently not too crowded at the time, perhaps it's because it's already past lunch? Wonwoo lifts up his wrist and shoves the fabric of his jumper that covered it away to check the time, and it's already 3pm. He wonders for a while of how come he isn't feeling hungry at all, then it hits him that this morning he had more pancakes than he usually did, since his mother somehow made too much dough for it and she doesn't want it to go to waste if they keep it for any longer, so she just cooked as many as she could, and of course Wonwoo had no choice but to savour it all. Also, on his way to accompany Mingyu, they stopped by one of the food stall and got themselves tteokbokki and somsatang. As for the latter, Wonwoo initially refused the offer since he'd had enough sweet thanks to the pancakes over intake, but Mingyu nagged him as he tugged the fabric of Wonwoo's jumper repeatedly with lips pouting that it gathered every passing person's attention, so Wonwoo just sighed and gave in. Therefore that means Wonwoo didn't just have abundant breakfast but also a whole brunch, which explains why he isn't feeling hungry at all right now, but Mingyu-

"Let's head back home?" Wonwoo looks up and Mingyu is already standing in front of him as he lifts up the plastic bag with the fried chicken inside. The brunette smiles and nods as he stands up to follow Mingyu who is already on his way out of the restaurant.

"Are you sure you don't want to eat there first? You haven't had lunch, have you?" Wonwoo asks as he nudges Mingyu's side with his shoulder as they match their pace together so they can walk side by side. 

"Nah, I had too much breakfast this morning, plus we stopped by food stall earlier today as well," Mingyu turns to face Wonwoo. " _You_ are one to talk. It's not like you have had lunch yourself."

Wonwoo laughs upon hearing Mingyu's confession, and the raven-haired guy just raises his eyebrows as his eyes are filled with curiosity. Eventually, Wonwoo stops snickering and he starts to tell Mingyu how he'd had too much pancakes this morning, and basically explaining the taller guy how it bloated him so much he was pretty much on the verge of throwing it all out again (Mingyu made a disgusted face; Wonwoo apologised half-heartedly in the middle of his faint laughter). The brunette later asks the other what he had for breakfast and Mingyu only answered the question with simple 'just the usual' as he suspiciously shrugs and eyes wondering anywhere but towards Wonwoo's. 

He sighs, "You didn't have too much breakfast like you told me you did, did you?"

"Fine, you got me." Mingyu puts up his free left hand in surrender. "But really, I am not that hungry."

Wonwoo is silent for a while, but then he's got this idea to invite Mingyu over to his house to eat together with him and his family, or maybe just with Bohyuk since he believes his parents have already had their lunch. Bohyuk must have had his, too, but Wonwoo knows that his little brother will never say no to free food. However, just when he is about to blurt out the idea, Mingyu is quick to interject. "Besides, I plan to head out together with Hyejin." His voice is much quieter than before, and Wonwoo also notices how his pace has gone slower that he is actually walking ahead of Mingyu now, so Wonwoo stops for a while to wait for the other to match the pace again. 

_Oh._

Wonwoo almost forgot that Mingyu _does_ have a girlfriend. He blames it on the fact that they have just been going out for around two or three weeks, or at least that is what Wonwoo wishes it actually is. 

"Wonwoo?" He diverts his eyes back to Mingyu's, unsure of how his face looks like right now but he wishes he doesn't look lost or dumbfounded even though he believes Mingyu must have been able to sense it. "Are you alright?" Mingyu asks carefully and Wonwoo honestly doesn't know why he had to make it sound like that, like Mingyu is afraid he might have said something wrong to the other whereas he really didn't. 

"I'm good," Wonwoo clears his throat and breaking the eye-contact with Mingyu as he whirls around then start walking ahead, not bothering to check whether the taller guy is following him or not. "So, what time are you having a date with her?" Wonwoo looks at Mingyu over his shoulder, and he notices how Mingyu lets out a sigh as he scratches the back of his head then later proceeds in keeping his pace even with Wonwoo's.

"Just heading out, not date." Mingyu responds and Wonwoo can sense some kind of heaviness in his words and voice.

"Oh, come on, Mingyu." Wonwoo decides to break the sudden ice between them by playfully nudging Mingyu's side continuously. "You guys are a couple, of course it's date. If anything, calling it 'just heading out' is ridiculous." He beams up at Mingyu as he slowly retreats back to his place, stopping the nudge. "I know you can't fool anyone, but that's just the worst attempt." 

Wonwoo's chest is relaxed a bit when he notices how Mingyu has gone loosened up somehow as well. The taller guy nods as he whispers 'yeah' to Wonwoo and they continue making their way back to home. Unlike before, their journey back home is much quieter. Either one of them seem to willing to initiate proper conversation, it's just them commenting on any random things they see on the street. Wonwoo knows that Mingyu must have felt it as well, the sudden heavy atmosphere between them. One that even Wonwoo, someone who is known as one of the top students in their school, cannot even explain why. He doesn't know why his mouth suddenly goes numb, why his brain cannot think of any topics he can talk about with, why there is this sudden  _throb_ in his heart when the realisation hit him. The realisation of Mingyu having a girlfriend. 

His mind wonders back to one of the books he read all the way before, one that Soonyoung recommended to him. This one cliché and typical romance novel, with ending that Wonwoo could already predict. He still remembers how Soonyoung swore that he'd give Wonwoo ten bucks if he could predict the plot, and the glasses boy just scoffed and said, _"I can already predict the ending just from read the synopsis."_ , but then the sudden intrigue rose up within him when Soonyoung smirked and poked Wonwoo in the chest with his pointy finger, challenging

 _"I said the plot, Wonwoo. Not the ending."_ And with that, Wonwoo yielded to the offer. In the end, Soonyoung won since Wonwoo really couldn't predict the plot, but he did get the ending right. 

What is the correlation of that recollection of memory to his situation now? Well, both Wonwoo and the second lead character do feel uneasy finding out their best friend is having a partner, and the solid reason is simply because they don't wish for their best friend to gradually forget and neglect them. That is for sure, and Wonwoo accepts that fact wholeheartedly. However, the part that Wonwoo doesn't wish to acknowledge, is the part where the second lead character realised that he'd been in love with his best friend for all the time they'd spent together.

 _That_ , Wonwoo doesn't want that to happen. He then cites another reasoning that comes from the same novel; simply because he doesn't want to ruin their already perfectly built and synergised friendship. Especially knowing Mingyu is Wonwoo's very first, real best friend. Kim Mingyu, the one who has shaped Wonwoo into a better version of himself, who has guided him to be more confident, who has taught him how to open up to people. It's all thanks to Mingyu that he's got to have more friends in high school, so of course this friendship he has with Mingyu is the  _very_ last thing he wishes to ruin.

But then Wonwoo starts to relax just the slightest bit, as a smile slowly appears in his lips. He remembers that there is another thing that both of him and the second lead character don't have in common; Wonwoo doesn't feel the longing that the second lead character feels whenever he is away from the first lead character aka the best friend he is crushing on. Wonwoo also doesn't feel his heart ache at the mention of Hyejin, let alone feeling jealous as it is.

Wonwoo is just feeling uneasy and scared. He is scared that the more time that Mingyu spends with Hyejin, the wider the distance between him and the Mingyu will be, but of course he can't just tell all of these things that he is feeling to the other guy. How much of a self-centered asshole would that make Wonwoo? He knows that Mingyu won't mind, let alone judging him, because Mingyu is a naturally good-natured man who isn't quick to judge or prejudice Wonwoo's feelings. Still, Wonwoo just can't act carelessly and selfishly like that. 

Besides, Mingyu is happy. Hyejin seems like a very kind and warm girl as well, considering that's how Mingyu described her as, with gummy smile smudged all over his lips. Wonwoo hasn't gotten the chance to meet the girl, though. All he knows is that she is of the same age as them both, but is from different school. The couple got to know each other over the summer break, when Mingyu was working part-time as the waiter and Hyejin is the daughter of the owner that also worked at the same café, thus they just naturally got close. Wonwoo spent that entire summer break visiting his grandparents' house in another town, that is why he hadn't got the chance to even meet the girl during that time.

"Wow, you are thinking so damn loud." Wonwoo blinks and automatically looks up, finding how Mingyu has locked his eyes on Wonwoo's. "What's wrong, Wonwoo?" Mingyu's voice has gone quieter and softer, almost like a whisper. Wonwoo is stunned for a little while, but then he shakes his head as he shoots the taller guy a smile. They continue to walk back home, mostly in silence. 

They first go over to Wonwoo's place which raised protest coming from the brunette, saying that Mingyu should have just gone back straightly to his place instead, but of course the puppy-like dude refused to listen and he really walked Wonwoo all the way to the front door. Mingyu handed Wonwoo the plastic bag with fried chickens inside, and Wonwoo told him 'thanks a lot' as he received it from Mingyu. The taller guy scoffs and shakes his head, saying that it should be him saying thanks to Wonwoo since he was willing to accompany and even wait for him for three hours straight, which Wonwoo later replied with a light chuckle. Mingyu then waved Wonwoo goodbye with smile never ceasing until he fully turns himself away from Wonwoo, who is smiling back at him just as gentle.

(Wonwoo lingers in his front door until Mingyu's figure is gone from his sight, heart is feeling a little _weird_ due to the sudden yet loud thump it did to his chest when he witnessed how Mingyu didn't actually drop by his own house, but heading straightly out to, Wonwoo assumes, his rendezvous point with Hyejin. In other words, Mingyu just walked back to their neighbourhood only to properly accompany Wonwoo back home.)

  
-

It's 5pm and Wonwoo finds himself lingering outside the house again. Just as he'd expected, Bohyuk was quick to yell in pure happiness and excitement when he came back and announced that he has some fried chickens with him. His little brother savoured most of them, since Wonwoo only had one piece and then decided to not continue. He even did that in spite of thanking Mingyu as well, thinking that it'd be rude of him if he didn't grab a bite. 

Wonwoo then went back to his room and just lied down on his bed, eyes staring straight and hollowly at the uninteresting and plain ceiling. His mind wander to so many things; his unfinished homework, Ms. Park's offer, the dinner his mother would cook later, the game that Bohyuk mentioned to him just before, his favourite author's newest release, this one mystery novel he's been wanting to buy, 

_Kim Mingyu_

He closed his eyes and covered them again with both of his hands, trying his best to shove his best friend's name and face away from his mind for a while. He stayed just like that for a whole minute, and his mind decided that it wouldn't stop visualising Kim Mingyu and his  _ridiculously warm smile_. Wonwoo counted to three and decided that he needed to get away, so he got up and yanked the parka off from his closet.

And now here he is, sitting on the shore. His legs are brought up all the way to his chest as he hugs them, chin resting on top his crossed arms propped on top of his knees. He stares straight at the vast, open ocean just ahead of him. His toes are wobbling against the clear white sand underneath. When the wind blows towards his body, Wonwoo finds himself wrapping his whole body tighter. Fingers clutching on both side of parka he is currently wearing. 

The beach has always been one of Wonwoo's favourite places, therefore he is glad to live in the town that he is in right now considering it's placed in the southeastern coast. Whenever his mind gets cloudy or all tangled up, Wonwoo will find himself rushing towards this particular beach, one that he discovered with his dad when he was only six years old. It's quiet, comforting, and most important of all void of people. Well, not completely, but the most Wonwoo has ever witnessed are only around eight to ten people. He figured that this beach isn't too touristic since there aren't many attractions that it could offer, also it requires extra effort for outsiders to reach here since the road is pretty rocky and narrow, with quite a lot of holes along the way. Wonwoo even had to walk by feet after taking bus to reach this place, since apparently there is no public transportation straightly heading to this beach. 

Wonwoo smiles when he notices how the sun is about to go down, considering that is the reason, other than to clear his head off, why he decided to come. He wraps himself even tighter when he feels like the temperature around him drops, and how the darkness is slowly but steadily filling in the entire scenery. He just stares blankly at the sun, waiting for the perfect sunset to happen, being unaware that he has one of his hands fumbling inside the pocket of his parka and reaching out to get his phone. 

He momentarily diverts his gaze from the sun to his phone screen, as he opens his contacts and scrolls down until the screen shows him one particular contact that he is about to dial. Once he hits the green button, he places the phone to his ear and waiting for it patiently, eyes are back to the orangish ocean before him. 

 _"Hello? Wonwoo?"_ It only takes three beeps for him to reach the person he is dialling. Wonwoo closes his eyes briefly, still not answering the line.  _"Wonwoo?"_ That voice echoes again, with worry that Wonwoo can obviously detect in it. Wonwoo opens his mouth, but no words are coming out. His open eyes are still glued to the sunset that is slowly happening in front of him; of how the sky is transitioning from orange, to violet, and ended with the darkest shade of blue. Soon, it will be completely dark, but Wonwoo really doesn't mind or let alone moving an inch from his spot. He clutches his phone with more force as he clears his throat slowly. 

"The sunset is so pretty, Mingyu." He whispers, and he receives nothing but a sudden beep from the other line. Meaning that Mingyu has ended his call, so Wonwoo slowly putting down the phone on the sand just beside him, and eyes never leaving the open ocean.

  
-

Twenty minutes later, Mingyu is already sitting beside him. Legs are also pressed against his chest and arms crossed on top of his knees, but unlike Wonwoo who is still admiring the dark ocean in front of him, Mingyu is staring at Wonwoo with so many questions reserved in his pair of ebony eyes. They stay like that for another thirty minutes, until Wonwoo finally turns his head to Mingyu who is, surprisingly, still gazing at the brunette. The silence that surrounds them is satisfyingly comforting, with the sound of small waves permeating the atmosphere. 

"You came." Wonwoo breathes out.

"You said the sunset is pretty." Mingyu replies, lips are still curved up in a form of smile.

"You didn't even get the chance to witness it." Wonwoo murmurs against his arm. The words came off unclear, but Mingyu is still able to catch them.  _"But you are prettier."_ Mingyu wanted to blurt out, but he holds himself back. Instead he says, "Who am I to doubt Jeon Wonwoo, the smartest student in our year?" which is returned by Wonwoo rolling his eyes at Mingyu. They both are exchanging gummy smile at one another for a while, until they burst out into small laughter. Mingyu's face cannot clearly be seen, not under the dim and sufficient light from the yellowish street lamps placed throughout the pavement that separates the beach and main road behind them, but strangely Mingyu still looks  _flawless_ and Wonwoo hates him for that.

"Don't you think we should head back home? It's already dark and we still have to walk to reach the nearest bus station." Mingyu softly informs Wonwoo as he lets his eyes wonder on the watch he is wearing on his wrist for a while, then back to the glasses guy beside him. Wonwoo just nods, then he starts to stand up on his feet and Mingyu follows the motion as well. The brunette takes much longer time to walk away from his spot since he has to remove the sticky sand all over his butt, which later draws soft giggle from Mingyu. He waves his hand off to Mingyu, asking the taller guy to walk ahead by himself first and that he will follow after. Mingyu whistles in confirmation of saying yes as he starts to walk away.

It doesn't take more than three minutes for Wonwoo to follow Mingyu from behind. At first, he wanted to quickly match his pace with the tanned guy in front of him, but then his gaze falls down to Mingyu's hand and his eyes just linger there, until his body crashes the familiar back.

"Oh, Wonwoo!" Mingyu is quick to turn his body around as his eyes solemnly scrutinise the brunette. Guilt and worry are both mixed up in his gaze. "Are you alright?" He knows his question is quite rhetoric, considering he himself witnesses how Wonwoo is rubbing his nose up and down continuously, causing his glasses to move around as well. 

"Jesus! Don't just stop abruptly like that next time, will you?" Wonwoo finally looks up with obvious annoyance reflected in his  _literally_ glassy eyes, fingers still softly caressing his nose in comfort. 

Wonwoo knows that the light around them isn't helpful, considering he cannot see Mingyu's face well and he is sure the other feels the same way, too. However, from up this close, he can tell that Mingyu is raising one of his eyebrows in much questioning look written all over his face. "Wonwoo, I called you out twice, but you didn't respond to me," He tilts his head a little bit before continuing his sentence. "That is why I turned around. Were you spacing out?"

 _Was he?_ Wonwoo asks himself, and if he really was, then of what? Him staring at Mingyu's hand?  _Are you for real now, Jeon Wonwoo?_ He hisses internally.

Wonwoo blinks and shakes his head vigorously, causing Mingyu to pull back his head just the slightest since the sudden move from the shorter guy who-is-not-actually-short startled him. After a while, Mingyu lets out a sigh as he rubs the back of his neck with his palm, eyes locking on the uninteresting sand just below him. "Honestly Wonwoo, tell me what's wrong?" He looks up at Wonwoo again, this time the brunette is sure he does get a hint of desperation forming in the beautiful black pair of Mingyu's despite of the poor lighting. Wonwoo's lips go numb for a while, but he knows from how Mingyu sounded just now that his best friend won't back off and will actually wait for him to answer the question. That is why he finally decided to give in by keeping his down, toes playing around with the sand absentmindedly.

"Your hand," His voice comes out muffled, causing Mingyu to move his head closer to Wonwoo. "I was staring at your hand." Wonwoo said the last sentence firmly, and it really caught Mingyu off guard, considering that was like the very most unlikely thing that Wonwoo would ever tell him. He blinks at Wonwoo, who is apparently still refusing to look at Mingyu in the eye. "What about it?" He softly asks, but Wonwoo still doesn't bother to look up and actually stare at him. "Wonwoo." Mingyu pleads by softening and lowering his tone of voice, leaving Wonwoo no choice but to finally meet his eyes.

"I just, I was wondering how nice it is," Wonwoo trails off, hand moving up to scratch his head that doesn't even feel itchy. "That is all." He's gone so quiet that Mingyu is sure if he doesn't stay this close from Wonwoo, he wouldn't be able to hear the entirety of the glasses' guy sentence just now. 

"Do you perhaps want to hold my hand?" Mingyu's question surprises him and is pretty much coming out of the blue that Wonwoo looks up to the taller guy again, not realising his eyes are quiet glimmering and Mingyu himself doesn't seem to have any intention to spill the truth to the other boy since he believes Wonwoo would just duck his head again if he did tell him. He waits for Wonwoo to answer, but the brunette looks so much in awe that he suddenly loses his focus and just throwing his gaze to anywhere but Mingyu's eyes. Mingyu heaves out an endeared chuckle, before he slowly reaches out for Wonwoo's hand and pulling it by wrapping his own around the brunette's wrist. "Come on, now." He leads the way, Wonwoo is obediently following him from behind. His eyes are tracing back and forth to his wrist that it is hold by Mingyu and the taller boy's broad back. 

Along the way, Wonwoo finally manages to tell Mingyu that he wants to stay like this until they reach the bus station. Mingyu only lets out a barely audible 'yeah' to Wonwoo as he keeps on dragging the brunette by the wrist. As they keep going on, Mingyu finally looks over his shoulder and tilts his head to the empty space beside him, wordlessly asking Wonwoo to stand right by him. Wonwoo slowly nods, and he does just as what he's told. 

In the end, they keep holding hands until Mingyu, once again, drops Wonwoo by his front door. No questions were asked throughout their way back home, but both sure were aware of how they had a lot in mind. In fact, they still do have those thoughts lingering inside their brains, until the drowsiness makes them unconscious late that night.

 

(Oh, Wonwoo forgot to mention. He did get the ending of the romance novel right; the best friends' feelings towards each other turn out to be mutual, therefore in the end they are dating each other and both of them are the absolute happiest they have ever been, as what the author concludes their feelings as.)

 

 

**iii. what is more beautiful than fireworks? the spark of fireworks reflected in his eyes**

 

They celebrate the new year together for the fifth time, along with some of their friends from high school and Mingyu's girlfriend as well. At first Wonwoo thought it would just pass like the usual past new years that he had spent with Mingyu. However, he really didn't see one big train of cardinal realisation is about to hit him. Hard.  _Real hard_.

It started off when Mingyu grabbed him by the wrist, with the other completely being ignorant of the well-being of his own  _goddamn_ girlfriend at the same place, and him staring at Wonwoo excitedly as he placed the brunette at what he claimed as the best spot to witness the fireworks, excitedly pointing at the sky as he started counting down, basically shouting. Once Mingyu is done with the countdown, he pulls Wonwoo into a tight hug without any glint of hesitation reserved in the action. Wonwoo can only hope Mingyu doesn't notice his thundering heartbeat, wishing the fireworks and the honk coming off from the trumpets their friends are blowing are enough to cover that up. 

Wonwoo internally whines at the loss of affectionate physical contact when Mingyu retreats back from the hug only to look at Wonwoo straightly in the eye as he tells the brunette how much  _truthfully_ grateful he is that they are best friends. How Wonwoo, after all the years they have spent together, never even for once leave his side. Wonwoo can feel his cheeks are heated up, but he hopes the barbecue smoke that is covering pretty much the whole open space they are in right now could somehow conceal the shades of pink. Wonwoo is about to reply to Mingyu's innocent and gregarious confession, however he can tell he is seconds late when he notices how Hyejin has somehow managed to walk all the way towards Mingyu and she is quick to turn the tanned guy away to face her as she pulls him down by the collar and kiss him passionately in the lips, right in front of Wonwoo.

Wonwoo's breath hitches for a while, and later he feels like he is suffocating, especially when he notices how Mingyu has slowly closed his eyes as he reciprocates Hyejin's kiss with more than welcome. The brunette turns his gaze away to his side, both of his knuckles are fisted but are somehow and actually  _powerless_. Wonwoo can feel some parts of his body are trembling, like his legs, fists, and lips. He blinks his eyes so many times as well, trying his best to ignore the prickling tears that are slowly swelled up on the corner of his eyes. His mind is a mess, but one thing that is certain is that he feels the  _pain_ , the solid pang in his chest. 

When Wonwoo realises his heart aches  _so bad_ upon witnessing that, he decided to surrender and admit the denial he had been convincing to himself all this time, that he is, in fact,  _madly in love_ with Kim Mingyu, his best friend. 

He notices that when Mingyu finally breaks his kiss with Hyejin, the tanned guy is quick to look at him with an expression that Wonwoo cannot quite put into words. Guilty? Worried?  _Scared?_ Wonwoo doesn't know and neither does he want to think much about it, so he just pretends he doesn't see that as he fleetingly walks towards Soonyoung and Jihoon to engage conversation with both of his friends, completely trying to ignore Mingyu and the twinge of pain which is starting to form in his heart, slow but tormentedly steady.

 

(Little does he know that Soonyoung and Jihoon  _know_ and are aware of his situation, which explains why throughout that night, they always try their best to distance Wonwoo from Mingyu and his girlfriend)

 

 

\- cont. -

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading this! it really baffled me seeing how long this is turned out to be, as i initially only wanted this to be around 5k-6k words :") that is why i decided to separate this into two chapters since too much words in one go might overwhelm some of you :"D anyway, hmu on twitter @lftovramericano !! :)


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